How are we meant to relate to Krishna?

Love for Krishna resides eternally in the heart of every soul. It is reawakened by hearing and chanting about Krishna. When that love is awakened and attains its purest stage, the soul returns to Krishna and lives with Him eternally, never to return to this world again.

Spiritual life is based on the exchange of love, or Bhakti. Pure Bhakti attracts God. Krishna likes it best when the Bhakti is so pure it isn’t touched by feelings of awe and reverence toward Him.

That type of love allows for the greatest intimacy. Krishna is most attracted by intimate love: a love that loves Krishna just because He is so wonderful, not because He is God and deserves or commands our love.

Each soul has a unique relationship with Krishna in one of five moods:

with feelings of awe and reverence

as a servant or one who gives protection

as a friend

as a parent or elder

as a lover

"It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire." —Sri Chaitanya in Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 20.108